With stagnation comes shapesickness, the uniquely Karnese illness of being unable to change form. The shapesick are caught in a state of psychic limbo, bound by some force stronger than their ability to surrender to the biological imperative of the shift.

The causes are many, like being in an unwelcoming culture, a physical or psychic injury while in shape, a tangle in the process of learning to shift, or a refusal to embrace the powers and strengths of the shape.

The bound figure must take small steps out of captivity and trust in their intuitive ability to sense and avoid unseen danger.